Hydraulic fracturing, which is also sometimes referred to as fracing or fracking, is a process used to initiate and/or stimulate oil or gas extraction from reservoirs having low permeability. During a hydraulic fracturing process, outflow or production of gas or oil from a new a new or existing well is stimulated by injecting a fluid into the well at a high pressure. The high pressure fluid, which may include a granular material as a slurry and/or agents increasing the viscosity of the fluid, acts on the walls of the well to produce fractures or cracks, which permit hydrocarbons and other fluids to flow more freely into or out of the well bore.
In a typical installation, water or another fluid is mixed on-site with granular materials such as sand and other agents to produce the fracturing fluid using a mixture. The fracturing fluid is then provided to a pump, which pressurizes the fluid and provides it down the well. Given the relatively high operating pressures that are required to fracture the well walls, the fracturing fluid may undergo cavitations during the pumping process and, especially, within the pump. Such cavitation can prematurely wear internal pump components and decrease pump efficiency.